THSCC Forums

I might be interested in the following vehicle. Any comment on the relatively high mileage and any weak point in these vehicle? Thanks
The price is in the $16000.


2001 Chevrolet Suburban K2500


Mileage 98,600 Cylinders 8, Vortec 8.1
Body Style SUV Transmission Automatic
Doors 4 Condition Excellent
Drive Train 4WD VIN 3GNGK26G81G217972
Exterior Color White
Interior Color Tan


Features: A/C: Front, A/C: Rear, Cruise Control, Power Locks, Power Steering, Remote Keyless Entry, Bucket Seats, Leather Interior, Memory Seats, Power Seats, Airbag: Driver, Airbag: Passenger, Airbag: Side, Alarm, Anti-Lock Brakes, Fog Lights, Cassette Radio, CD Player, Premium Sound, Power Windows, Rear Window Defroster, Tinted Glass, Alloy Wheels, Sunroof/Moonroof, Third Row Seats, Tow Package
Additional Selling Points: Heated memory front seats,heated mirrors,rear audio controls, white running boards&fender well trim,barn doors,luggage rack and 2nd row bucket seats. Rare Vortec 8.1,Autoride,tow/haul mode,3.73 ratio,class IV rec,7 pin wiring harness,LS rear axle,245/75R16E tires,skid plates and ONSTAR system.

Patrice

I'll hang onto my 97 until prices fall

Hahahahahahah thats funny..... hope you like your 97

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Tuesday that world energy markets are being strained but that market forces should eventually lead to higher oil inventories and help bring prices back down.

Speaking via satellite from Washington to an oil refiners' conference in San Antonio, Greenspan said recent record high oil prices had slowed oil-demand growth, although "only modestly."

Slower rising demand and increasing output had already led to faster oil-inventory building, he said, adding that stockpiling could pick up further as producers seek to cash in on higher futures prices.

"If sustained, these market technicals could encourage enough of an inventory buffer to dampen the current price frenzy," Greenspan told the conference.

At above $58 a barrel, oil prices recently hit a record but have retreated in recent days. Shortly after Greenspan spoke, benchmark light crude was trading around $56.35 a barrel in New York.

The Fed chief said that while global oil supplies and productive capacity were on the rise, the investment needed to bring the oil to market had fallen short of what was needed to "match unexpected recent gains in demand, especially gains in China."

He also expressed concern about a lack of world crude oil refining capacity, calling it "worrisome."

The Fed chief said energy market developments would "remain central" to the long-run health of the U.S. economy, but as prices increase the economy's dependence on energy would lessen.

Of crucial importance to lowering long-term demand -- and helping build oil stockpiles -- is whether Americans will choose to buy lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles, Greenspan said.

He said vehicles on U.S. highways currently consume about 11 percent of total world energy production.

He also said the high price of oil will spur investment in other sources of hydrocarbons, particularly in Canada's vast oil sands, which he said are now economically viable.

Greenspan said the recent price of benchmark crude was only slightly above the highs of October but noted that prices for heavier grades had risen notably.

He offered little in the way of direction to financial markets seeking to gauge how the U.S. central bank might respond to rising oil prices, which tend to both push up inflation and weigh on economic growth.

"Energy issues present policymakers and citizens with difficult decisions and tradeoffs to make outside the market process," he said. "But those concerns, one hopes, will be addressed in a manner that, to the greatest degree possible, does not distort or stifle the meaningful functioning of our markets."

Crude Prices: How High Until They Hurt?

By Tim Sullivan

SAN FRANCISCO – Crude oil prices may be at record highs, but they could very well go higher still – quite a bit higher. That was the message heard here last week by the refining industry’s biggest trade group.

Speakers at the annual meeting of the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association told members that plenty of oil and other fossil fuels are available to meet the world’s growing energy needs. But they also argued that the ability to refine those fuels is being held back by environmental policies and other obstacles, creating a bottleneck that threatens the balance of energy markets.

Crude oil prices this month have returned to record levels set last fall, driving gasoline prices in the United States to new highs, too. Several speakers at the NPRA meeting warned that crude prices may rise considerably higher before peaking – one suggested as high as $80 per barrel. They agreed the increases are due to tightness of supply – but maintained it is not for want of raw material.

Patricia Woertz, executive vice president of global downstream for ChevronTexaco Corp., noted that proved reserves of crude and natural gas have swelled 75 percent in the past 25 years.

“Fossil fuels will remain the primary energy source fueling our economy for decades to come,” she said.

The problem, she and others contended, is that industry’s ability to turn those materials into usable products is being hampered by a variety of factors. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) continues to control much of the world’s oil supply, but cannot increase its output without expanded infrastructure.

“We are not saying that OPEC is running out of oil,” said Arjun Murti, managing director of Goldman Sachs. “But there is a question of allocating capital to create that capacity, and OPEC can’t simply turn on the taps any more.” OPEC nations, particularly those in the Middle East, need stability and economic development for infrastructure investments, Murti added, but Goldman Sachs believes they will continue encountering political strife.

In developed countries, speakers said, environmental regulations have constrained the refining industry in several ways. By forcing refiners to spend money on pollution reduction measures, they have diverted capital investment from capacity projects. In the United States, the tendency toward boutique fuels has reduced supply chain flexibility, increasing the likelihood of local, temporary shortages.

More than one speaker expressed surprise and concern at how readily markets have accepted the run-up in crude costs.

“Energy [costs] just seem to be less relevant” to corporate decisions or the economy, Sunoco Inc. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John G. “Jack” Drosdick said.

Murti said it appears more and more that the only thing that can stop the rise in fuel prices is a change in consumer behavior – decisions by motorists to drive more fuel-efficient vehicles and by businesses and households to cut energy consumption.

“Our view is that oil prices have to keep rising until the economy is affected,” Murti said. But current prices appear to have had little effect, he added, and energy costs now account for 3 percent of the economy, compared to 7 percent during the energy crisis of 1979-80. He suggested that it may take crude prices of $80 per barrel – the level at which energy would account for 7 percent of today’s economy – to compel changes by consumers.

Alejandro Granado, vice president of refining for Venezuela’s national oil company Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., said nations in the Western Hemisphere should work diligently to develop a coordinated energy policy.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we need to act and act quickly,” he said. “Inaction will lead to an energy crisis in the region.”

Woertz said the U.S. government and industry should take a number of steps to help refiners meet the nation’s future energy needs. She said that governments should streamline processes for permitting new refineries and expansions and “rationalize” refiner liability rules. Refiners, she said, should foster better relationships with communities where they operate, lend more support to conservation and be more open to alternative fuels.

Drosdick predicted that new crude production and new refineries will be built outside the United States, closer to reserves. But he also raised hopes that existing American refineries can manage significant gains in output – especially with the market offering more incentive.

“I’ve got to believe we’re going to see a lot more [capacity] creep,” Drosdick said. “Creep is going to become crawl and even walk.”

To the surprise of no one, Granado was asked to comment on PdVSA’s plans for Citgo, its wholly-owned subsidiary in the United States. Venezuela President Hugo Chavez, a stringent critic of the United States, declared recently that PdVSA will divest Citgo and export the oil it now sends to the United States elsewhere. PdVSA has since softened its stance, saying it is considering what to do with Citgo.

Granado echoed the latter sentiment, saying the company is evaluating its U.S. subsidiary, along with operations in Germany, Belgium, Sweden and the United Kingdom. He did suggest that PdVSA is leaning toward redirecting resources from abroad to exploration and refining opportunities in Venezuela and neighboring countries.

“As in any business, you change positions according to what is most convenient for the shareholders – in this case the Venezuelan people,” he said.

Or.

http://www.imakenews.com/lng/e_article0 ... ?x=b11,0,w

start getting some good MPG, start driving the Miata to autocrosses

FWIW my 1.8L 110whp Miata gets 20MPG...maybe 22 or 23 sometimes if I'm lucky.

By comparison my 2.4L 150bhp Z-24 gets 35MPG highway...sometimes almosts 40.

Edit: I guess "good" gas mileage is a relative term.

My Celica, when the engine was actually in the car, got 38 mpg on the highway... and that's with 178 whp. Hopefully the new engine will be more powerful and more efficient. - AB